PC to look into aged care employee models
The Productivity Commission is inquiring into aged care employment models and the impacts of ploicies to preference the direct employment of workers.
The Federal Government has asked the Productivity Commission to examine the effects policies and procedures to preference the direct employment of workers would have on the sector – including on care quality and provider viability.
The PC plans to release an issues paper in March to guide submissions – due in April – ahead of releasing a draft report – possibly in June – and a final report in September this year.
The aged care employment inquiry responds to the recommendation of Royal Commissioner Lynelle Briggs that aged care services have policies and procedures in place to directly employ workers rather than using contractors.
The PC has been asked to:
- examine employment models in aged care
- examine the extent of the personal care and nursing workforce not directly employed by aged care providers
- take into account the wide scope of duties within sector from low-level support such as shopping and gardening to high-level personal and medical care
- examine how different employment arrangements might impact on:
- quality of care
- consumer choice
- job creation and workforce availability
- employment conditions
- worker preferences
- flexible and innovative care models
- provider accountability for care delivered on their behalf
- costs of providing care
- viability of providers
- explore any preconditions in personal care and nursing workforce supply required prior to potential policies and procedures to preference direct employment
- consider whether new policies and procedures would impact other care sectors, such as disability and childcare
- support analysis with modelling using quantitative and qualitative data.
Informal carers’ inquiry
The Federal Government has also asked the PC to examine the impacts of allowing informal carers to take extended unpaid leave from their work to care for older people living at home.
The carers’ inquiry responds to the royal commission’s recommendation to examine the potential impacts of providing an additional entitlement. The PC is required to provide a final report by early 2023.
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